EXCLUSIVE: How Spartans Coaches Made Difference For Elite DB
Three-star cornerback Terrance "Deuce" Edwards is one of the most insightful recruits I've spoken to. You can tell when prospects approach their recruitment carefully, not carefree, and truly take the time to consider every factor.
Edwards, of Trinity Episcopal in Richmond, Virginia, is one of those recruits. His original final three this summer comprised of Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Michigan State. He ultimately chose West Virginia.
The Spartans maintained the pressure and kept in close contact with Edwards. He visited on Nov. 22, when the Spartans beat Purdue on a Friday night showdown. Edwards told me that he knew East Lansing was home when he entered the facilities. The Big Ten conference pedigree helped, too.
Furthermore, the fact that Edwards clicked with the two men who recruited him heavily, Michigan State secondary coach Blue Adams and cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin, played a huge role.
Wali Rainer is a former NFL linebacker who is one of Edwards' coaches at Trinity. Rainer happened to play with Adams for a short time with the Detroit Lions.
"Just getting Coach Wali to even co-sign [Adams] as a coach, to even approve him -- to like 'Yo, this that guy,' from somebody that I look up to in my life," Edwards said. "For him to be like, 'This is a guy right here that is a high-quality man, he's a good guy, great coach,' I was like, man, he's got to be legit. On my official visit, [Adams] broke down everything he does. He wants to not only build a player, but he wants to build men. ... He reminded me so much of Coach Wali. I was like, that's got to be another coach I have in my life."
For Edwards, everything stood out about Martin. From his cool demeanor to an impeccable sneaker collection, there was a lot to like.
"And on top of that, man, he's a great coach," Edwards said. "Putting guys like Christian Gonzalez in the league and helping guys like Marcus Peters, so you know, just the quality of guys that he puts in the league and the way he can build and develop players ... just the elite players he's worked with. I was like man, I can come elite getting coached by this guy."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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